Biography of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Let’s read about the great personality of India in this article on Biography of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan…

About Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan-

Bharat Ratna Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (5 September 1888 -17 April 1975) was a renowned Indian professor, philosopher, and politician. He served as the first vice president of India(1962-1967) and the second president of India (1962-1967).

He was born in a Telugu-speaking brahmin family in the erstwhile Madras Presidency now in Tamilnadu. His father Sarvepalli Veeraswami was a revenue official under a local landlord and his mother’s name was Sarvepalli Sitamma who was a religious lady. 

His Education and Profession-

He completed his early education at Madras Christian college in 1909, he started his career as an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at  Madras Presidency college then subsequently worked as a professor at the University of Mysore  (1918-1921); the King George chair of Mental and Moral Science at the University of Calcutta (1921-1932) and also worked at University of Oxford ( 1936-1952) by which he became the first Indian to hold a professorial chair at the University of Oxford. He also served as a lecturer at Manchester College, Oxford in 1926,1929, and 1930. In 1930 he was appointed at the University of Chicago.

A Strong Supporter of Hinduism-

He was a strong contender of Hinduism contributing to the formation of contemporary Hindu identity. He has been influential in shaping the understanding of Hinduism, in both India and the west and earned a reputation as a bridge-builder between India and the West.

His Achievements-

Radhakrishna was awarded several high awards during his life, including a Knighthood in 1931, the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in India, in 1954, and honorary membership of the British Royal order of merit in 1963. He was also one of the founders of Help age India, a non-profit organization for the elderly underprivileged in India. Radhakrishna believed that “teachers should be the best minds in the country”.

Why Teachers’ day is Celebrated on his Birthday-

Since 1962, his birthday has been celebrated in India as a teacher’s day on 5 September every year. The reason being when Radhakrishnan became the president of India, some of his students and friends requested him to allow them to celebrate his birthday on 5th September. He replied, “instead of celebrating my birthday, it would be my proud privilege if September 5th is observed as Teachers’ Day”.

A few Quotations of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan-

• “A life of joy and happiness is possible only on the basis of knowledge and science”.
• ” The true teachers are those who help us think for ourselves”.
• “God is the Soul of all souls- The Supreme Soul- Supreme Soul Consciousness”.
• “Religion is behavior and not mere belief”.
• “Books are the means by which we build bridges between cultures”.

Thank you guys for spending your time on the Biography of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. I hope you learned many more things from such a great personality of India. 

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